“It was really industry driven and focusing hard on what our students are looking for; what skillsets they need to have. We have annual assessments, what courses are and aren’t working, to see where we need to adjust and modify. Our curriculum hadn’t undergone a significant review in a while and we felt it was time to do that. This is a big package put together for the students after a couple of years of work.”

Gary Rabe, chair of the criminal justice department.

University Communications

Minot State adds three criminal justice minors

MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University’s criminal justice program has bolstered its comprehensive degree with three new minors: police management and investigations, law and legal studies, and offenders, risk assessment and corrections.

The new programs materialized after the department assessed both the wants of the students and the industry.

“It was really industry driven and focusing hard on what our students are looking for; what skillsets they need to have,” said Gary Rabe, chair of the criminal justice department. “We have annual assessments, what courses are and aren’t working, to see where we need to adjust and modify. Our curriculum hadn’t undergone a significant review in a while and we felt it was time to do that. This is a big package put together for the students after a couple of years of work.”

The three minors will offer students who are in the criminal justice program avenues of concentration, but is also open across campus. There are currently 35 students enrolled in the minors and the first graduates in the programs will earn minors this fall.

For senior Maritssa Perez, the offenders, risk assessment and corrections minor will give her added classes and concentration for her career path.

“This was really good timing for me. I did my field experience last year – I did an internship working with probations and parole – and earning this minor really fits into what I want to do working with probation and parole,” Perez said. “The program does a great job of engaging me in group activities and gives me some knowledge to get ahead of the game going into my career.”

Police management and investigations offers students interested in pursuing a career in federal, state, and local law enforcement or policing a more comprehensive study of interview and investigation, use of force, and police administration and management.

“This was a certificate for many years,” Rabe said. “We have enhanced it to become a minor. This is more traditional law enforcement. It is very hands on with mock interviews and crime scenes.”

Law and legal studies offers students interested in pursuing a law degree or career in the legal system a focused study of the legal system through study of types of law, legal procedure, courts and legal systems, legal theory and field placement/internship.

“We have a number of students who have gone on to law school. You need a bachelor’s degree, but it can come from a variety of fields. This will help students get that experience by putting them in the field, in the law office,” Rabe said.

Offenders, risk assessment, and corrections offers students interested in pursuing a career in probation, parole, and corrections a comprehensive understanding of offender risk assessment, practices and policies in probation/parole, community and institutional corrections.

“This one is really new and one that employers have been wanting for a while,” Rabe said. “There are some really good risk assessment tools that are good at identifying what risk factors there are. Our students will have those skills before even getting into the job.”

According to Rabe, the three minors are a great fit into an already powerhouse curriculum.

“These three will give our students an even better foundation,” he said. “We wanted to be responsive to employers’ needs. If you look at criminal justice programs in the Midwest, we are by far the most comprehensive. The breadth and depth of our curriculum is unparalleled anywhere in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Minnesota. We are really proud of what we offer; a program taught by CJ professionals and experts. It’s an exciting time here.”

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